MAGNY-LES-HAMEAUX, France, March 3 (Reuters) - Bradley Wiggins is not concerned about his main rivals as he embarks on a season in which he could win the Tour de France and an Olympic title because the Briton believes road racing is now a free for all without any clear favourites.

Wiggins, a time trial specialist who lost just under 10 kilos to become a decent climber, said road racing was much less predictable than it used to be because young riders did not defer to the leading contenders like they used to.

"There's no respect in the peloton any more so it doesn't matter who is there even if it's the big star of our days or past winners," Wiggins told Reuters in an interview at his team hotel on the eve of the Paris-Nice stage race on Saturday.

"It's not like when Lance (Armstrong) chose to come (in the early 2000's) and nobody dared attack Lance or (his) U.S. Postal (team), now it's just a free for all and it doesn't matter who is in the yellow jersey.

"It makes for exciting racing, we saw it last year with (Thomas) Voeckler (the Frenchman who led the Tour after 18 stages before finishing fourth), so at the end of the day you just concentrate on yourself.

"Everyone just feels they can do it now the bigger riders in the peloton, on results, can't command the same respect as 10 years ago and I think the sport has changed so much in that sense."

The Team Sky rider, who finished fourth in the 2009 Tour de France, has decided to skip the team pursuit at this year's Olympics to focus on the Tour before trying his luck in the road time trial in London.

He said the absence of Spaniard Alberto Contador, who will miss the Tour because of a doping ban that cost him his third title won in 2010, would not be a major factor.

"I don't think it (Contador's absence) will make a lot of difference. At the end of the day you can't worry about someone like Contador," he said.

"The first stage in the Pyrenees last year he got dropped (by the favourites) so you just concentrate on what you're doing as a team and individually.

"You can't worry too much about if he's there, or if Lance is there," he added referring to the retired seven-times Tour winner.

CYCLING HISTORY

But Wiggins, who paid tribute to the late Tom Simpson when the Tour went up the Mont Ventoux in 2009, said younger riders should have more sense of their sport's history.

"I think it comes a lot from riders coming in not really knowing anything about the history of the sport, they're just good at cycling," he said.

"They're coming and they get told by the DS (sports director) race hard, don't worry about who's there and I don't think they have any sense of history and I think that's why there are more crashes. It's just a free for all really."

Wiggins must, however, deal with world champion Mark Cavendish's presence at Team Sky this year, with both riders having different goals on the Tour.

Wiggins, who will be gunning for the yellow jersey while Cavendish aims to defend the green jersey he won last year, believes his team mate probably needs fewer designated domestiques, who work for the main riders, than he does.

"It depends on what team they (Team Sky) pick at the end of the day. If they pick seven lead-out riders (for the final sprints) it's clear that I'm on my own for GC (general classification)," he said.

"If they send seven support GC riders then the guys can double up for the lead-out, it all depends on what team they take. It will also depend on how the season pans out really.

"The thing is that Cav can win with a black bin bag on his head. He does not need a lot of help, he's so fast. It's something to worry about in the final few weeks but at this stage we just have to get on with the races."

Lead-out riders usually serve to protect their sprinter and set him up in the final kilometres of a stage while support riders often have climbing abilities.

Wiggins and Cavendish both have different racing programmes this year and will only come together for the Tour de France, which starts on June 30 from Liege, Belgium. (REUTERS)